


Tattletale

by the_song_you_gave_me



Series: Olympus [1]
Category: Alpha and Omega - Patricia Briggs, BRIGGS Patricia - Works, Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Family Drama, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Flunking School, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 19:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17331179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_song_you_gave_me/pseuds/the_song_you_gave_me
Summary: Anna wanted a kid and Bran was done being a parent. But Charles could only take so much of trying to raise his kid sister as his own. This girl’s trouble- now whatcha gonna do about it? Set in a different story line from Brick in the Wall.





	Tattletale

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t killed anyone yet and there’s no sex… clearly something’s wrong with my fanfic today. 
> 
> Anywho, the name ‘Ceridwen Cornick’ is alliterative... at least I think the Cs make K sounds. It’s a silly thing, but miss Mary Sue here doesn’t like her name and wants it to be closer to how everyone else was mispronouncing it. That's all.
> 
> Her parentage on the other hand... well that's another matter ;)

She kicks her feet up on the table and leans back in the kitchen chair. Her long legs, tanned by the Montana sun, stretch out from rainbow-unicorn print pajama shorts as she gets her balance just right. Fifteen years old with perfectly brilliant blue eyes and the kind of blond hair that women of a certain generation only wished came out of a bottle, she crosses her arms and gives the Marrok her best frown. It’s a good one, too.

“Ceri,” the Marrok says after taking another sip of hot tea.

“It’s Sadie.” If he insisted on sounding American, so could she.

The base of the cup hits the woven placemat with a thunk. “Ceridwen Cornick, I know what I named you. Get your feet off Anna’s table.”

The girl quickly sits up, then she slouches forward in front of her plate, arms still crossed. The Marrok leans back in his chair, though all six of his feet stay on the ground.

“All I asked was how’s school.”

She sees him trying to keep calm.

Sadie looks away, setting her head on top of her arms. It’s unfair how he looks so young, physically only what? Twenty? He looked even younger when he’s not pissed. She answers, “Charles already told you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

The sizzling sounds from the stove simmer down as Anna walks over with two heaping mounds of bacon and pancakes, “Why’s it gotta be my table?” she redirects, “I’m pretty sure Charles got that thing long before I was born.” The whiskey-blond Omega werewolf sets the food down and takes her chair between them. She pours a glass of orange juice for herself and says to the kid, “Sadie, eat something please, before you try to bite Bran’s head off.”

“I don’t want to bite his head off,” the girl quietly pouts.

Bran cuts into his stack of pancake. He suggests conversationally, “If the table’s in joint custody, doesn’t that make it yours while he’s out of town?”

The corner of Anna’s mouth quirks up like she can’t decide if the Marrok is joking or not. “Is this about the table or the kid?” she asks, “’Cause if it’s about her then you’re not blaming your daughter’s poor grades on me.”

Sadie’s face falls flat as she realizes, “Don’t tell me Charles left to go kill someone and the last thing I did was show him my grades!”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” the Marrok tosses Anna an unconcerned glance, “He might not even have to kill anyone this time.”

“Is this the Florida call?” Anna asks.

The Marrok nods. “Hopefully they brought us in early enough that Charles can move the three women to stay with Darryl in Texas while the rest of the pack teaches their new wolf some manners.”

Sadie looks up in arms, “Why’s he moving people around instead of bringing the idiot back to you?”

“Because it’s the middle of October and we’re a bit busy with guests, child.” Bran helps himself to another stack of pancakes, “Otherwise you’d be having this conversation at my place instead of here in your own home.”

The weighty unease around the table lifts with Anna’s soft commentary, “Have I ever mentioned how much I love the privacy Charles earned by being your hitman?” She takes another sip of juice, “You’re welcome to join us anytime you need to get away from the main house, Bran.”

“Thank you,” he sets down his fork and knife. “Ceri, why don’t you tell us what happened with your grades at school?”

“It’s Sadie.” She digs her chin into her crossed arms and spears a piece of bacon with her fork, “You won’t understand.”

“Try us,” her da narrows those hazel eyes of his, “You haven’t explained anything to Anna or Charles yet.” He pauses, “It’s difficult to help if you don’t talk to anyone about it.”

Sadie chews her meat slowly as she raises her chin, a gesture that conveniently bares her throat while being wonderfully stubborn. “What if your help won’t make things better?”

Bran Cornick braids his fingers together, looking halfway attentive by the tilt of his head.

Anna heaves an exasperated sigh and launches into lecture, “Sadie, love. I think you’re past the   point where you get to figure this one out on your own. It’s only been six weeks into the year and you’re already failing Pre-Chemistry and Algebra.”

Sadie blinks at them.

 “And English… and Gym of all things- how can you possibly fail Gym? It’s easy enough as a human and you’re a werewolf!” Anna continues through the girl’s silence.

“And you have a D in French,” Bran finishes.

Well it’s clear which one of those he was most disappointed by.

“In my defense, French is a nonsense language,” Sadie sits back to watch the Marrok’s expression shift under that calm exterior he always likes to present. At least she wasn’t failing History- that’d bring dishonor on the whole family.

Her da answers with a wry smirk, “English is a nonsense language. If you’re honestly failing, then any number of wolves would bend over backwards to tutor you. If there’s some other cause to it though… my real question is _why?_ ”

Sadie shifts in her seat when she can’t meet his eyes any longer. Why did he have to look so impossibly _young_? With his sandy hair and that _face_ , he really could pass for her brother. She slouches forward again over her empty plate. Hopefully no one would die over this. Sadie could put up with them just fine, but if her family was going to put pressure on her for handling things her own way then maybe Anna had a point.

She didn’t want to take it anymore. Certainly not if the Alpha of all Alphas was going to get involved. Sadie scrunched her face together, knowing her da’s patience could outwait her by centuries. She knew Anna could match him too, though she had already pushed the Omega to her wit’s end before Charles brought the Marrok into this.

Well, hopefully they wouldn’t be too mad at her. She heaves a deep breath and gives them her best glare,

“Because human kids are mean and this town is too damn small.”

“Sadie! Watch your language in front of Bran.”

“We’re werewolves not swear wolves.” He looks thoughtful as he says it.

Anna’s eye twitches a little from turning so quickly, “Really? Are you even trying to be serious about this?”

No longer frozen in shock, Sadie snorts a laugh. ‘Swear wolves,’ she thinks. It sounded ridiculous.

Anna leans her elbow on the table, still stuck on Bran, “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know where that’s from.”

“Why don’t you tell us a bit more, child?”

Shit. This was the part she wasn’t gonna like.

“Do you know how hard it is growing up with the last name Cornick in this town?” Sadie bursts, “I mean, sure Charles gets it. But he’s not a teenage girl!”

Anna widens her eyes as Bran tilts his head again.

Sadie huffs, “You’ve no idea what it’s like hearing your classmates talk about their crushes on your _father._ Do you know how many daddy jokes I have to put up with every day?”

“That’s disgusting,” Bran narrows his brow.

“And you should see how _proud_ they look, every time they get to tell a _Cornick_ she’s not perfect, Da. I don’t want you to come to my rescue on this. I don’t need you talking to anyone, or—or silencing them with your power, getting people killed and… and making it worse.”

Her father sits across the table, holding her eyes for a moment. “I make it a general policy not to kill humans under the age of eighteen,” he says.

“I don’t want you holding this against them when they want to Change, either- some of them would make great wolves.” Sadie says to her plate.

Anna shakes her head between them. “I don’t see how—"

“Do you have an idea what you want to do?” her father asks.

“I’d rather be somewhere they don’t know you than put up with this—" she looks to Anna, “…mess.”

Bran meets the Omega’s eyes for a brief moment as he pulls a cell phone out of his back pocket.

“If you think it’s best,” Anna answers his projected thought, “I’d want to go with her of course, but I know you need me here.”

He dials a number and puts it on speaker, “Adam, are you busy?”

“Not for the Marrok. I’m in the car with Irene though. We’re ten minutes from dropping her off at school.”

“On a Saturday?” Sadie pipes up, making a face.

“It’s for band practice!” the teenage coyote’s voice echoes through the phone, “Hi, Sadie!”

Adam explains, “Lauren didn’t want to drive her freshman sister’s tuba around so I got called in.”

“Nerd.”

“Hey! Sousaphones are cool!”

Bran shoots Sadie a look across the table, “Adam, that’s fine. I’ve got a favor to ask you. Ceridwen’s failing half her classes and wants to skip town. Are you willing to put her up in your territory for a while?”

“Sadie, aren’t you too smart to be that dumb?” Irene’s voice chirps from the other end.

“Shut up, tuba player!”

“Tuba _star!_ ”

There’s a pause before the Columbia Basin Alpha asks, “Will she be coming as a transfer student?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” her da stares her straight in the eyes. Sadie meets his strength of force and nods to agree.

Nothing but driving noise comes through the phone for a few seconds. Then Adam comes back on, “I almost want to say no, but my real answer’s yes.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Happy shrieks sound out from beside him. Irene’s father hisses at her to stop yelling in his ears.

Bran waits a little to ask, “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” the low voice comes back a bit growly.

“Charles should be back by Monday, so I can bring her down myself,” the Marrok offers, “If that’s good by you?”

“Sure. You have any plans for where she’ll stay?”

“I want to see if Warren can handle her. Otherwise she can go bother Samuel.”

Sadie leans in across the table, “Da, Samuel’s mean. He’ll torture me. Don’t do it.”

Her father whispers quietly, “I guess you’ll have to behave, then.”

“Dad, why can’t Sadie just stay with us?” Irene asks.

“Because the last time you two were kept in the same house you took a joyride across three state lines and broke into the Alphas’ convention in Colorado,” Anna complains.

“Oh… hi Anna!”

Sadie grins, “We didn’t crash the car at least.”

“I’ll talk to Warren and warn whoever’s at the school while I’m there,” Adam offers. “Don’t expect any classes together.”

Bran reaches for the phone, “Thank you, Adam. Send Mercy my love, and I’ll see you Monday.”

“Right.”

“Hey Irene,” Sadie cuts in before her da hangs up.

“What?”

“Don’t tell anyone it’s ‘cause I’m flunking school!”


End file.
